Unemployment dropped to 9.7 percent last month, with the number of jobs jumping by 431,000, but 411,000 of those jobs were temporary employees hired by the government to work on the Census, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Jobs in the private sector grew by 41,000, mainly in manufacturing, (29,000 jobs) temporary jobs,(31,000 jobs) and mining (10,000). Construction lost by 35,000 jobs.
The unemployment rate for African Americans fell slightly to 15.5 percent, but the overall rates for men, women and teens were unchanged.
The number of registered unemployed people was 15.0 million in May.
President Obama told reporters, the fact that the private sector was now adding jobs instead of losing them is a good sign.
Watch Bloomberg and AP video here and here.
Full US Dept. of Labor and Statistics report.
